


The Duke and The Duchess

by DreamerFae



Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 17:34:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18596116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamerFae/pseuds/DreamerFae
Summary: Kaneki needs an heir to continue his bloodline but he'd rather choose a village girl over other ladies, and that would be Kirishima Touka.





	The Duke and The Duchess

**Author's Note:**

> This story is situated in 19th Century, England, where men are higher than women in rank. Kaneki Ken is a duke, who lives in a huge mansion with his butler & best friend, Hide, and his servants. Touka is a normal village girl.
> 
> Kaneki is black reaper personality and appearance here.
> 
> Please, please, please leave a kudos/comment if you liked it because I spent around 10 hours in planning and writing this one shot. Thank you!

"Hide. Bring me the files from Yuil Village." Kaneki ordered and Hide quickly did so, putting the files onto the male's desk.

As Ken started reading the files, Hide stared at him quietly. "Aren't you gonna get an heir?"

His grey eyes shot up to meet Hide's with a glare. "What?"

"I mean, you're the heir to your father and the responsibility falls on your shoulders to create another heir after you. Want me to help you find a woman?" He asked casually.

Kaneki sighed. "You know I hate women, after what happened to my parents and Rize."

"I know. It's just..your dad will be sad if you don't do this. Take it as you're doing this for him?"

He stopped to ponder, eyes focusing on the documents on his desk. What his best friend said also made sense because he was already 25 and not getting younger, and needed an heir to continue the bloodline.

But he would be so worried. What if his son gets a mother who didn't love him like Ken's mother didn't? What if his son grew up and gets fooled by another woman, just like he was? There was one more thing to be worried about.

What if the child was a daughter? It'd mean that he had to mate with the woman once more to gain a boy heir and that would be the worst thing to happen to him--someone who sees women as the worst creatures on earth.

He weighed the pros and cons. The pros were that if he were to have an heir, the bloodline would be continued and his money wouldn't go to his useless cousin who barely does any shit in maintaining the land that they owned. His father would also be able to rest in peace, as Hide had mentioned.

The cons were that he had to embrace a woman he knew he would never love, and he would be disgusted in performing the act in conceiving a child. It would be utterly uncomfortable for him.

Gritting his teeth, he decided that the pros outweighed the cons and he had to ignore the disadvantages to reap better rewards. He was a businessman and the reward is always more important than the process.

"Fine. Find me a woman who fits these conditions: (1) she must be able to bear a child, (2) she must be pretty so our son will have our genes, (3) she must not be a money-grubber. You have 3 days to do this."

"Roger!"

\--

3 days later, Hide returned with a stack of papers and dumped them on Kaneki's desk. Wiping the sweat off his brow, Hide puffed his chest out and had a stupid grin on his face. "I've done my job! Look through and let me know if you're interested in any of them!"

Flipping through the stack of papers, Kaneki only spent 1 second on each of them before moving onto the next. Within 2 minutes, he was done and threw everything into the dustbin. Hide gawked in horror before turning to his master. "Why'd you do that?! I spent my last 3 days finding those women!"

Kaneki gave a deadpanned expression. "Are you blind? They're all ugly. Find someone better."

Hide sulked. "Those are the women leftover from your conditions! How do you expect me to find anyone else who is the same as your position?"

"I said to find someone. I don't care who it is, be it royalty or commoner."

Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Hide walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Kaneki smiled, only Hide dared to treat him in this manner. If anyone else did, he'd fire them on the spot. But he'd always close one eye since Hide had always been by his side and never left even when his parents did.

Another few days later, Hide returned and dropped another stack of papers on the table. They seem lesser than the last time but better than none. Kaneki quickly scanned through them as he listened to Hide's words. "I searched the nearby villages and found some pretty girls. If you don't like any of them, I can't help you anymore, brother."

Tossing paper after paper into the dustbin, he ended up on the last piece of paper. It showed a female with short violet hair whose bangs covered half of her face and had blue eyes. He paused for a few seconds just scrutinizing the woman's face before looking up at his butler. "I decided. This woman."

"Oh, that one. I forgot to throw it away. She's no good."

Reaching over for the paper, Hide tried to take it but Kaneki refused to let it out of his hands. "Why is she no good?"

Hide sighed heavily. "You just had to choose the worst woman possible. She has a fiery temper and her family's quite poor so it'll mean she'd go for the money. Besides, she ain't pretty. Not my type. I prefer cheerful girls."

"I'm the one who's getting an heir, not you. I decide who's pretty or not." He snapped and stared at her photo. Having a fiery temper was no problem, he was quite good at controlling people but the money part was the problem. But if he didn't choose her now, he'd have no other choices. She also seemed to have quite the beautiful face, way better than all the other ladies he's seen.

He decided. He'll have her.

"Write her a letter and offer her an agreement where in exchange for her body, I'll give her this amount of money." Kaneki scribbled on a paper and held it up for Hide to see. The man nodded and rushed off.

The letter was delivered the next day and they waited, waited, waited but a reply never came. When Kaneki asked Hide whether it was really delivered to her directly by him, Hide had insisted that it was. They chose to wait another few days until he lost his patience and took his horse to go down to the village itself to find her.

He dismounted from his horse outside her house and knocked on the door. It soon opened and he was glad that it was her. Clearing his throat, he stared into her eyes and began, "I believe you received a letter from Duke Kaneki a week ago? May I ask why there isn't any reply yet?"

"Oh that? I thought it was a prank and threw it away." Touka said nonchalantly.

He felt his veins pop out in anger and tried to stop himself from lashing out at her. "I am Duke Kaneki and I wish to hear your answer. You need money, do you not? As I can see from your house—I mean, hut—and your torn and tattered clothes, I believe this deal won't be a disadvantage for you."

She chewed her lip as she pondered over his words. "How much did you say you'd pay me again?"

"$500 per day. If you're able to get pregnant within 2 weeks, I'll give you an extra $300."

$500 was 10 times of her wage per day. Even if she gave her 1000% at her current work, she would never be able to get that amount of money this duke was offering her. By the end of the week, she would get $3500 instead of her current $350.

One part of her was warning her not to sell her body like some prostitute, but another part of her was telling her to take the job because honestly, they needed the money. Although Ayato was working many jobs to help earn money to pay their house rent, food and for their father's treatment, it still wasn't enough. They needed so much more because their father's treatment was so expensive and they couldn't afford it.

"Deal. What do I have to do?"

He shook her hand and smiled. "You just need to lie on the bed and do nothing. I look forward to a good deal with you."

—

Kaneki suggested for her to stay at his mansion so that it would be more convenient for both of them. For her, it meant that she wouldn't need to go back and forth between both houses, and for him, so he can easily get access to her. Touka was hesitant at first, because it would mean that she wouldn't be able to take care of her father every day like before, but slowly got around to the idea when he mentioned that he would let her go back to her home anytime she wanted, as long as she returned by night.

She didn't know what to think of the guy, seeing as he never smiles, nor talk with emotion. He's never happy, sad, disappointed or angry. Just neutral. He almost seemed to maintain a certain distance from her when he explained the terms of their agreement.

"So what I'm offering in exchange for a child is the money I've mentioned earlier and your freedom as soon as the child is born. You would not need to stay here or take care of the child. It will be my responsibility. You can resume your life as per normal."

"I won't be able to see my child?" Touka asked.

"Of course I can't forbid you from doing so but please bear in mind that I intend to tell the public that you died in an accident somewhere to make it simpler, so after the child reaches a certain age, you can't see him anymore."

Another question popped in her mind. "What if it's a girl?"

"..then we will try until it's a boy. I will, of course, take care of her. You don't need to worry about that."

"Alright." For now, she didn't have any other questions and leaned back against the most comfortable armchair she has ever sat in. She stared down at the floor and wondered whether she was doing the right thing. She hasn't told her family anything about this either. There was still the thing about the scar behind her bangs. She was afraid of his reaction to it.

Kaneki leaned forward to rest his elbows on his thighs and clasped his hands together. "I can see that you're still hesitating about this so please think about this carefully. You're not allowed to back out of this deal if you've decided to commit to it because it would mean that I've wasted my time in bed with you and my money. On the other hand, if you have decided on committing to this, I promise I will take care of everything. I will provide you shelter, food, new clothes, and a bedroom."

After a short 5 minutes of debating whether she should or should not do it, Touka decided to agree. He then quickly sent out instructions for her belongings to be moved into his house, arranged a bedroom and a bath for her. Though she was alone in the dining table, she ate the fanciest and most delicious dinner in her entire life and night soon fell.

She retired to her room and allowed the maid who was assigned to her to change her into the nightdress that Kaneki provided. It was a lacy midnight blue lingerie dress and translucent but thankfully it came with a robe and she held it close to her chest in an attempt to cover her exposed skin.

Settling down onto the bay window, she stared out at the bright moon through the large window panes and heard the door open and close. Without even turning, she knew it was him, from the strong scent of his cologne and menacing presence. Touka raised her head and locked eyes with his lifeless ones which seemed to have given up on everything.

Standing up, she attempted to remove his tie, but he stepped back and held up a hand to her. "Stop. Don't touch me. I have some rules I would like to go over before we start. First, you're not to wrap your arms around me or touch me in any way. Secondly, no kissing. Thirdly, I will not sleep in the same bed as you once we're done for the night."

Touka thought it was normal for men to want women to touch them while they're doing the deed but he was..abnormal. While she knew the third rule was reasonable since they weren't lovers, she didn't understand the first two. "And may I ask why you gave the first two rules?"

His eyes narrowed at her and suddenly his voice was louder. "Lastly, no asking any questions. None at all."

She wanted to call him out for being this rude to her because she could just walk out of this room at any time, but held it in. The money was a huge sum, one that she would never get even if she worked till she died and she needed it.

"Shall we get to it then?" He asked.

"Wait. I have one rule of my own."

His head tilted up. "Speak."

"You must promise to never lift my bangs or attempt to see what's behind them." She said, voice shaking.

He raised his brow. "Deal. Let's get started then."

"..okay."

Touka expected her first time to be done with passion and love. But it didn't happen. He roughly pushed her onto the bed, made her get on her knees and hands and took her from behind. The way he slammed into her without mercy, without even letting her rest for a second, brought tears to her eyes as the pain shot through her. She refused to let him see her cry and balled up the bedsheets in her hands.

Abiding by his rules, she did not make an effort to kiss nor touch him, and neither did he. It soon came to an end when she felt a foreign liquid fill her and he pulled out of her. She collapsed forward onto the bed and just laid there lifelessly. Her virginity was just taken like that and she knew she would never get it back.

At the corner of her eyes, Touka watched the male quickly put on his clothes before fishing something from his jacket. Throwing an envelope filled with money bills in front of her face, he stared down at her with no emotion whatsoever and said, "your payment." He then quit the room and slammed the door behind him.

She curled up into a ball and cried herself to sleep.

—

Plopping down onto his own bed, Kaneki ran his hand through his sweat-filled black hair and frowned. Though she was trying to hide it, he could see that it was painful for her and she was crying. He berated himself for taking her like a beast would and not having done it more gently. He remembered how her face contorted in pain when he slammed into her, and how her fingers had curled into fists so tightly until they turned white.

He snapped out of his thoughts by shaking his head and headed to the bathroom for a bath.

—

The next morning, she didn't go down for breakfast. Even if she knew the food would be delicious, she had no appetite to eat. After last night with that monster, she didn't want to see his face nor hear his voice. He had treated her as if she were a prostitute, throwing her money and tossing her aside once the deed was done. Her hands closed into fists and she gritted her teeth.

If she had the opportunity, she wanted to give him a good punch. It wouldn't hurt him to treat her a little nicer. But she slowly uncurled her fists and closed her eyes. This was what she has chosen. Getting money by selling her body. She had to bear with it, and until she has given birth to his child, she would continue to receive this unfair treatment.

Kaneki visited her room again that night but instead of going to her immediately, he remained just behind the door he closed and only stared at her.

"What are you staring at. Let's get this over and done with." Touka mumbled.

He watched as she limped her way over to her bed and sat down on it. As he thought, he was too rough on her the previous night. He mentally pondered on whether he should do it gentler this time. What if she cries again?

The thought of seeing a woman's tears infuriated him because it was the exact same thing his previous lover did in an attempt to cheat him of his money. Women would do anything to get money on their hands, even if they had to cry or sell themselves, which Touka did the latter and he despises women for that.

But then he decided to test her. He would repeat the same thing the previous night and watch if she shows her tears to him or not. If she does, he would know that she's a woman who only wants the money. If she doesn't..she's probably someone who needs the money. There's another factor on which he could tell what kind of woman she was, but he would save it for later when he actually does it.

After the deed was done, he took the bills out of the envelope and threw them into the air. It was the other factor he would judge her on whether she was a money grubber. The notes flew all over the place before slowly landing on the floor. He then pretended to leave the room by opening and closing the door and quietly stood in a dark corner of the room to watch her actions.

Touka didn't make a move at first, only staring at the money on the floor and slowly got to her feet. She fell to the floor after taking only one step, her body still weak and sore, and she started picking up the money. Instead of doing the action happily like a woman who wanted and loved the money, she did in a way that seemed like she was so miserable even when the money was right in front of her. Tears brimmed in her eyes which dropped down her cheeks and onto the money.

After watching her take all of the money off the floor and cry herself to sleep, he concluded that she was not a woman who's sleeping with him because she wanted the money, but because she needed it. In other words, she may not be like Kamishiro Rize, his ex-lover, who cheated him of his money, making him hate women even more after what his mother did.

He might need to observe her further to gain a better understanding of her character, but for now, he decided he didn't need to keep his guard up so high now with her.

—

The next day, after dropping by her house to check on her father and pass them the money she earned, Touka returned to the mansion and decided to explore since she still had many hours left till nightfall. The mansion was huge, having over 20 rooms and she knew it would take her forever to finish walking the whole place.

Before she could start, she encountered Kaneki's butler, Hideyoshi Nagachika, who grinned at her. "Good afternoon!"

"Good afternoon." She greeted.

A thought suddenly popped in her mind. If Hide is Kaneki's butler, then he must know plenty of things. "Can I ask you why Kaneki's such an asshole?"

Hide's eyes widened at the sudden question and he laughed until he started crying. "That's a nice question." His expression then turned into a serious one, which made her straighten up. "He had a very rough childhood and the bad memories of it stayed with him till today. Even if he's an asshole, bear with him. He's still hurt on the inside."

"What happened?"

"It's not in my place to tell you. I think it's best if you heard it from him yourself. Only if he's willing to. He refuses to do that but I believe if he does let someone into his heart, he would heal."

With that, Hide walked off, leaving Touka with a million questions in her head. But she tossed them to the back of his mind and her eyes zoomed in on the room with 2 doors. Opening the doors, she poked her head in the gap and peeked inside. It was the library. She sighed. She didn't like books. Nevertheless, she would take a walk around because she had nothing better to do anyway. Entering quietly, she closed the door behind her and walked by the huge shelves filled to the brim with books on both sides of her.

She scanned for a particular book but frowned when she only found business or literature related books. Walking to the end, she saw a walkway leading to the left and followed it. Soon, she encountered the devil himself, aka Kaneki Ken, who sat behind a desk with a mountain high of paperwork in front of him. He was so engrossed in his work, writing on and reading his papers that he didn't notice her.

Without noticing, she hit her foot into the bookshelf and let out a groan. His head shot up, his hand stopped writing and he narrowed his eyes at her. "How long have you been there? Who said you could come in?"

Touka winced from the burning sensation of her toe and looked at him. "I've been here in for 15 minutes or so. If you don't want me here, then I'll leave."

"No. You can stay."

She was surprised by his answer, to say the least. Then, she looked over the bookshelves in an attempt to find the book she wanted. Kaneki watched her sigh heavily and tilt her head down before continuing to write. "What book are you looking for?"

"A picture book." She answered. "But I see that you don't read picture books. The books here are all boring ones."

He shot her an incredulous look. "Of course. Picture books are for children. What book do you want? I'll tell my butler so he can buy it for you."

"..why are you doing this for me?" She asked.

"Since we are in a contract, I have the responsibility in taking care of your health, well-being, and desires."

"Well then... could I get 'The Ugly Duckling'?"

"Why that book?"

A sorrow-filled expression fell over her delicate features and her gaze softened, though sad. "It was the last book my mother read for me before she died."

"Does that book have anything to do with the condition you gave me?" He asked.

You must promise to never lift my bangs or attempt to see what's behind them.

She nodded, answering his question. "I have a horrible scar behind these bangs and it always scared people from my village away. She often read the book for me and told me that one day I would find someone who accepted my scar." She didn't know but she started talking more about her mother. "Then, when a fire broke out at my house, she took out everyone out of the house and got herself trapped inside. She broke her leg and I watched her die in that fire--" Touka realized that she was crying at this point and covered her mouth in an attempt to soften her sobs. She apologized and quickly turned to leave the room.

Kaneki remained in his seat and tapped his fingers on his desk. Seeing her cry gave him mixed feelings and he didn't know whether he should go to comfort her or ignore her. Then, he decided to hell with it as he cursed under his breath and stood up. Even if he tried to be a cold-hearted and a mean person to protect himself after what happened with his mother and ex-lover, the caring personality he had as a young man still remained in him.

\--

Closing the bedroom door behind her, Touka threw herself onto the bed and cried into the mattress. Her mother had been such a big part of her life and to see her just pass away in front of her eyes was heartbreaking. Oh, how she missed her mother dearly.

She twitched at the sound of the door clicking open and close and she turned to look at Kaneki who stood beside her bed. It seemed as if he were mentally deciding on what to do as his eyes looked to the floor, darted up to her, then to the floor again. His knees dipped into the mattress and she soon found herself enveloped in his arms.

It's been a long time since he's ever embraced someone like this and he just realized that he didn't know how to comfort a person.

"...I'll be here."

Those 3 simple words were enough to throw away the initial shock Touka had from him hugging her and made her burst into tears, wrap her arms around his torso tightly and bury her face into his broad chest. They slowly lowered down onto the soft mattress, with Touka crying in Kaneki's arms until she fell asleep.

—

Touka awoke a few hours later and dragged herself to dinner after washing up her horrible face. She then sat at her dressing table whilst combing her hair and thought about how she should face Kaneki later at night. He had been so kind as to hold her as she wept earlier on, and she didn't know how to feel about that. He was an asshole but at that time, he was caring.

But she knew that his warm arms gave her the most comfort she's ever had in a very long time. The last was when her father held her, but he hasn't done that in a long time since he fell sick.

She waited and waited, but Kaneki never came to her bed.

Meanwhile, he was in his room, arms rested over the balcony's barrier and stared up at the full moon. His mind replayed how he held the weeping female in his arms, and how she had told him everything about her kind mother.

He then recalled how at one point when he was a young boy, his mother had truly loved him and treated him well. Back then, she often sat him in her lap and read storybooks to him. If he were to able to read a new word, she would grin widely and pat on him on the head, telling him that he did a good job. He closed his eyes and a rare smile graced his lips. He had to thank her for letting him remember something good about his mother.

The door clicked open and he turned to see Touka walking towards him. She stepped into the balcony, where he was and was soon only centimeters away from him. Looking up at him, her words got stuck in her throat as she saw how the moonlight reflected off his long eyelashes, making it shine and thought that it was beautiful how his grey eyes matched the large white moon, while his black hair matched the dark night sky behind him.

"Are we not...doing it today?" She asked softly.

His arm encircled her waist and pulled her flush against his body. With downcast eyes, he pressed his thumb against her soft lips. "You know, you shouldn't enter a man's room at night. He'll attack you."

She was entranced by his handsome features and the fact that he was giving her heart flutters as he ran his thumb across her lips, before cupping her cheek and twirling her hair in his fingers, that she couldn't find the words to say. Snapping out of her trance, she then snorted, to his amusement. "Our contract is that we sleep together at night. It's right that you attack me."

Narrowing his eyes, he grabbed her wrist, pulled her to his bed and threw her onto it before getting atop her. Her eyes went wide as she felt his hand go up her thigh, and one leg settling between hers. Kaneki lowered his head to suck the delicate skin of her neck and her chest after pulling down her robe.

"This is what it means to--" He pulled back and stopped at the sight of her fear-filled eyes. His aim was only to tease her so that she knew the dangers of enticing a male and scaring her was definitely not his intention.

Touka shoved him aside and ran out of his room. He was left alone and he stared down at the spot where she laid, feeling extremely guilty about what he did.

Slamming the door behind her, she felt her body warm and heart race at the memory of him touching her so intimately. While she knew that he was only demonstrating what he said, she was horrified at the fact that instead of feeling disgusted by his touch, she actually liked it and wanted him to continue.

But before it came to that, she had to separate from him. Willing for her crazy heart to calm down, she gripped the robe against her chest and took deep breaths. Kaneki didn't attempt to enter her room that night.

After that incident, Touka had tried to avoid Kaneki whenever possible. She never visited the library again and when she met him in the hallway, she would turn and run. Even at night where they were supposed to have their nightly activities, she would lock her door and not let him in.

Today was the 3rd day that she was doing this and Kaneki was irritated, annoyed—whatever emotion that was associated with anger—and couldn't stand it anymore. They had a contract and she was not fulfilling her part. So, he stomped to her door, banged on it with his fists and shouted, "open the door, dammit! It's been 3 days!"

From behind it, came an indignant shout.

"No!"

He gritted his teeth. "If you keep this up, I'll cancel the contract and you won't get any more money from me!"

Though it was a threat, he hoped that it wouldn't happen, as it would have wasted his time and money, he thought, pushing the idea of him actually enjoying her company far away from his logical mind. There was silence, then the door opened to reveal Touka with a frown. "Come in."

He stepped in and glared down at her, who looked away and seemed to be shrinking the longer he did so. She took a step backward and he followed with a step forward. Dropping his hand on her shoulder, her body flinched and he squeezed it tightly to prevent her from running away.

Through the thin cloth of the long dress he provided her, Kaneki could feel the warmth of her skin, which brought him back to that night where he touched her much more intimately than he usually did.

Despite his policy of never touching a woman like that again, he had done it to Touka. He wondered why he did that. Was wanting to warn her the only reason he did that or was there another reason? He was about to find out, as he pulled her to him by the waist and used the back of his hand to brush against her cheek.

Her cheeks turned red at his actions before her lovely blue eyes flickered up to his. "Are you going to repeat what you did 3 nights ago?" She asked.

His hand which has been playing with her hair paused and he smiled smugly. "Would you like me to?"

The female opened her mouth to answer but closed it, then opened it again. She seemed to have some difficulty in coming up with an answer and he decided to help her. Pushing her hair away from her neck, he kissed the sides of her neck and her hands on his chest turned into tiny fists. Her heart rate sped up as he pressed a kiss under her ear and inhaled her scent. "..You smell nice. Did you just have a bath?" He mumbled, lips moving to the other side of her neck.

Touka panted, body turning hot just like that night when he touched her but her shaking hands wouldn't let her push him away.

"W-why are you doing this? I thought you said you didn't want any physical contact between us. You told me on day 1!"

"Hmmm, yes I said that..." he murmured, one hand going down to cup her breast through her dress and the other hand squeezed her butt cheek. Touka moaned, pressing herself closer against him. He separated from her with a groan, feeling himself harden and took a good look at the female before him.

He recalled how the torn and tattered dress she had been wearing when they first met did not enhance her body, unlike this dress which he chose for her. This midnight blue dress showed off every single part of her beautiful body; from her slender shoulders and arms, her delightful cleavage, and the sexy curve of her hips.

Even if he swore to never fall for a woman's seduction again, he could not stop himself from being attracted to a woman's body and right now, he wanted to throw her onto the bed and do all kinds of things to her. He was still a man after all. He was met with her hand when he stepped towards her and he raised a brow. Her voice came out shaky, telling him that she was scared. "A-Answer my question."

Question? Ah.

"Did you know that you have a very sinful body? An attractive one that seduces a man? It's regrettable that I failed to notice earlier."

The grey eyes that roamed over her body were one of a predator's when they were deciding on which part of the prey to eat, and shivers went down her spine after realizing that he might just devour her.

"I-I did not ask for this body! Stay away!"

"And yet, it is this body that you have decided to use to earn money. Have you ever thought of earning more money by pleasing me?"

"What? No, don't be crazy! I'm not a prostitute!" She exclaimed.

He paused. "That's..unfortunate. But I will still expect you to uphold your part of the contract and sleep with me."

"Y-yes, I will. But it's still afternoon, isn't it? We only do it at night."

Kaneki looked to the clock that hung on the wall. It was nearing evening time. "It's going to be night. We only do it at night." He repeated her words with a smirk, pushing her down onto the bed.

"H-hey! Stop it!" Touka protested, but she couldn't form any more words after that as he pressed his hungry lips to hers.

—

Laying naked in bed after their vigorous yet sensual sex, he stared up at the ceiling as he came to a conclusion that he was attracted to her body, not her personality itself, and that's why he wanted to touch her. Definitely not because he was interested in her, nor because wanted to feel a female's soft and warm skin on his after many years. Definitely not.

He's usually very talkative after sex and he had forgotten that fact that he didn't think before opening his mouth.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were a virgin before I bedded you?" He asked, cursing himself internally because he couldn't take back the question.

Touka froze in putting on her bra and looked down. "I didn't want your pity. I wanted to do this. Even though it's a shitty job and one that makes me feel shameless, I still needed the money."

"And why do you need so much money?"

She remained silent and continue putting on her clothes.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me." Kaneki sat up in bed and started pulling his clothes on as well.

The two clothed themselves in silence, with their backs facing one another.

"Hey, if I increase the number of times I do it with you, will I get more money?"

He blinked. "Of course."

From that day on, Touka jumped on him at every single chance she saw him since he promised that he would pay her by the number of times they do it. If she has sex with him once a day, she gets $500. If she has sex with him twice a day, she gets $1000. They have done it in the corridor, the bathroom, the library, and pretty much anywhere they run into each other. Though it makes her sore and extremely exhausted, the money she was paid was worth it.

Ironically, even though this contract was the one that made them have bad impressions of one another, it also served as an opportunity for them to bond, where after doing the deed, they lay in bed and talk about trivial things. Somewhere along the way, they started looking forward to spending time in each other's company.

After a week of interacting with Kaneki, Touka could tell that even though he acts tough and cold, he's actually a very nice and kind person deep down. It's in the way he treats animals kindly, and the way he talks and looks at her. The eyes which were once cold slowly warmed up and now, he smiles and laughs more often. She could also feel it in the way he caresses her cheek, kisses her skin and rests his hand protectively over her waist.

And she fell in love with him unknowingly.

In the short time he has spent with Touka, Kaneki was slowly opening up to her, talking to her about his work and some other stuff but he would never touch on the topic of his family. It seemed that she noticed and did not pursue the matter which he was grateful for. He enjoyed their time together because it helped relieve his daily work stress and the big hole of loneliness inside him—which he isn't aware of—and assumes that he likes her company because she's fun to be with and likes listening to her stories. Without knowing, he had developed feelings for her.

As he lay in bed with her one night, he's suddenly reminded of the fact that the time that they currently have will eventually disappear when she gets with his child. After it happens, they would separate, he would take the child, and she would return to her village and continue her life as per normal. The thought of it pierced his heart painfully and he wished for more time with her.

For now, he would cherish the remaining time left with her.

Until one fateful night, it happened.

It was when Touka decided that it was time for him to talk about his family. Unlike the last time she asked which made her stop when he got angry, this time she was persistent.

"You can tell me. Maybe I can find some way to help you." Touka said, cupping his cheek.

Kaneki's smile turned into a scowl and he jerked his head away. "You can't. Drop the subject."

She frowned. "Kaneki, I want to help you. I don't want you to be suffering with me not knowing a single thing. I need to know so I can help you. Please."

"I said drop it, Touka." He ordered menacingly but she didn't seem scared at all by his glare.

"Okay. I have a hard life—a tough life even, but I don't let it pull me down. But you are living in the past and not in the present nor the future. Whatever happened with your family is in the past, you need to let it go."

He ignored her words and left the bed to get dressed.

"Oh, come on! It can't be that bad!"

That is when the thread of his patience snapped and he's enraged. With a fiery gaze at her and the way his brows furrowed down, she could tell that he was angry. "Can't be that bad?! Who are you to assume you know everything about me and my family?! We've only known each other for 2 months and we've basically strangers!"

Looking at him, she could see him reverting to the asshole she met on day one. Instead of warm eyes, she saw hard and cold eyes. His voice also reverted to his old emotionless one, not his soothing one.

Kaneki was furious. He doesn't remember being this angry ever since the day his mother and ex-lover left him. But he didn't know that the next few sentences that come out of his mouth would hurt her feelings so deeply.

"You're just a prostitute who sleeps with people for money! You're nobody to me! And in case you didn't know, the past 2 months meant nothing to me! You were only a tool to get me an heir. If you understand, then get out!" He roared.

Touka raised her head, tears falling down her cheeks and a sorrowful smile hung from her lips. "Is that so?"

The male gaped in horror, eyes widening as he watched her futile attempts in wiping the tears that seemed to be falling non-stop. She put on her clothes quietly and then proceeded to pack up her luggage. Before she left the room, she glanced one last time back at him who still remained frozen at his spot.

"You know, I think I might have fallen in love with you in the 2 months we spent together. It's sad that it's come to this but I just want you to know that I love you. Goodbye, Kaneki."

With that, she walked out of that door and out of his life forever.

—

After calming himself down, Kaneki did some soul-searching and regretted immensely the words he spoke to her in his angered state. Why, when he knew she needed the money for a reason, and yet still used that to hurt her? For the first time ever, he saw himself as an asshole and a horrible person.

—

Touka returned home in tears and when her brother and father asked the reason, she would shake her head and say that it's nothing. As soon as she reached her room, she tossed her bag to the floor and dropped herself onto her tiny bed. The tears in her eyes seeped into the sheets, and she didn't stop weeping until she fell asleep.

“Look, I don’t know what you said or did to Ms Kirishima, but I know it’s definitely your fault.” Hide said, pouring the earl grey tea into a teacup before placing it down onto Kaneki’s desk. The male who had been covering his face with his hand for the past hour finally looked up at his butler with a glare.

“How would you know?”

“I’m your best friend and butler. Of course I know how hurtful you are with your words and sometimes you say things that you don’t even mean. Now what did you say to her? Let’s see if I can help you.” Hide asked.

Kaneki told him everything and watched his best friend’s face turn from neutral to horror. Grabbing a nearby book, Hide threw it at Kaneki, who narrowly avoided it as the book hit the window behind him with a loud thump. “Why’d you do that? I’m still your master!”

The blonde-haired male sighed heavily and slapped his hand on his face. “You’re freaking stupid, did you know that?! Why did you have to say that to her even when you know she needed the money? I feel sorry for her man, she was only trying to help you!”

“I was angry, alright? I regret it now.” Kaneki mumbled.

“So are you planning to just sit here and wait for her to come back to you? ‘Cause that’s definitely not happening.”

“I know! I’m thinking!”

“You’re damn hopeless, you know that? For the time being, put away your damn ego or pride or whatever you have, and go apologize to her. While you’re at it, do it with a bouquet of flowers.” Hide placed a hand on Ken’s shoulder and smiled, though it was a sad one. “Don’t run away from your past. I’m pretty sure part of her is angry and sad because you wouldn’t open up to her. Try doing it. It might make you feel better.”

Hide left the room, saying that he’d help him get the flowers while he used the time to think of the words to say to Touka when he met her. Kaneki bit his lower lip and squeezed his hands into fists. He didn’t know whether he was ready to tell her the truth.

But Hide was right. Apologizing came first, everything came after.

\--

Gathering his courage and his flowers, Kaneki found himself in front of her house and swallowed. Raising his hand and knocking on the door, he held his breath as he heard footsteps then a loud ‘coming!’ from the person.

The person who opened was Touka again, thankfully, and she immediately slammed the door in his face before he could say anything. He thumped on the door with his fist, shouting her name and peeked into the house through the window beside the door. “Touka, please open up! I’m here to apologize!”

Throwing a glare his way, she walked up to him on the other side of the window and his heart soared when he thought that she’d open the door for him, but even the small hope was dashed as she pulled the curtains across the window. She did the same to every window and he had no choice but to leave the flowers on the ground outside her house and took his leave. He decided that he’d come by again tomorrow.

After watching him leave, Touka finally opened the door and frowned at the bouquet of roses outside. She picked it up and looked at the card attached to it. The card displayed the words ‘I’m sorry’ with an unhappy face beside it. She dumped the card into the bin first and hesitated to throw the roses. They did nothing wrong, she thought, as she brought them into the house and put them into a vase.

The next day, Kaneki returned with another type of flower and knocked on the door. She looked through the peek hole on the door and sighed heavily. Him again.

“Go away!” She yelled.

“I only want to talk.” He pleaded. “Please let me in.”

“No.”

And that was the last answer out of her for that day.

So, Kaneki continued visiting her house every single day without fail and it came to a point when she didn’t even bother to go to the door when she hears a knock. And every day, he would leave behind a different bouquet of flowers with the card attached to it.

This continued for 2 weeks until Ayato was so sick and tired of the house turning into a flower shop and told her to throw some of them out because he was allergic to flowers.

One day, when Kaneki was on the way to Touka’s house again, he happened to see someone—he assumes that is a doctor, judging from the white coat and bag full of medical supplies—exit the house with Touka following behind.

“Doctor, please treat my father! If he continues without medication, he’ll die! As for the money, I promise I’ll come up with it!”

The doctor shook his head with a frown. “I collect the money before I start treatment. If you do not have it, I will not treat your father.”

As the doctor turned to leave, Touka had to go down on her knees and hands. “Please! I beg you! I’ll do anything!” She begged.

To his dismay, the male ignored her and left. He watched her slowly stand up, grabbed the hem of her dress and bit her lower lip. The tears that fell down her cheeks pained his heart. So this was the reason why she needed so much money. Her father was ill, and it had to be a grave one if the doctor needed to collect money before treatment.

He gathered whatever money he had and ran up to her. “Here, use this for your father’s treatment.”

Touka slapped his hand away with a scowl and he could see pure hatred in her eyes when she looked at him. “I don’t need your money and pity. Go away.”

“Touka...”

She slammed the door behind her and after leaving the flowers outside her house, he returned to his mansion and ordered for his family doctor. The following day, another doctor visited her, one of which she has never seen before and knew that he didn’t belong to the village. He told her that he was here to treat her father and when she asked about the payment, he only smiled at her and informed her that he was already paid for her services.

She glanced back worriedly at her father who seemed to be getting weaker day by day and allowed the doctor in. Kaneki smiled as he watched from afar and took his leave.

As soon as the treatment was done for the day, the doctor would take his leave. This time, out of curiosity, Touka followed him, only to find the doctor receiving a stack of money bills from Kaneki.

Anger boiled within her. How dare he try to curry favor with her by doing this?! She almost walked up to scold him but couldn’t find it in herself to do it. It’s been 3 weeks since her father started receiving treatment and though he was still bedridden, his health was so much better than before. She also knew that if she refused Kaneki’s help, no other doctor would help them because they didn’t have the money to pay.

Though pissed, she’d bear with this, for her father.

\--

At that time, she started feeling ill. She would wake up earlier in the mornings to vomit but nothing would come out and she would often have weird food cravings throughout the day. Her friend, Yoriko, who was still training to be a doctor, did a check-up for her and concluded that she was 2 months with child.

Now alone in her room, Touka rubbed a hand over her belly which was starting to show and didn’t know whether she should laugh or cry because she carried the child of the man she loved but didn’t have the financial means to take care of the child.

Being busy from making meals, doing housework and taking care of her father, Touka barely had time to think about Kaneki. The only time when she did was at night before she slept. She would lay in bed, stare up at the ceiling and think about the time where they’d lie in bed together, just kissing and talking about the most boring things, with his arms wrapped around her and lips on her head.

Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine that, and the tears just fell from her eyes without her noticing. He may be a rotten asshole, but she loved him and missed him dearly.

Being separated from Touka for months has taken a toll on Kaneki’s body. He hasn’t been able to sleep well and often found himself hallucinating about how she was in front of him in times when he wasn’t getting enough sleep. Hide had to feed him sleeping pills to make him sleep, and even so, he would always wake up in the middle of the night and walk around the house looking for her.

As a result, he gained large bags under his eyes, sunken cheeks and lost his appetite. All he wanted was to hold her in his arms and kiss those soft lips of hers. He decided that if he got her to forgive him, he would make sure that he would never ever let her go again.

“Have you realized why you’re behaving like this?” Hide asked one day and Kaneki snapped out of his daydream.

“What?”

“Haven’t you noticed that you also acted this way when Rize left you?”

He blinked once, then cocked his side to the side in confusion. “Yes? But it’s got nothing to do with Touka.”

The blonde-haired male sighed. “I swear it’s been too long since you’ve experienced this emotion. I’m telling you that you are in love with her!”

He stared blankly at his butler. “I…am?”

“Dammit, yes! You want her back because you miss her, because she makes you happy and because you can’t live without her!”

It took him a solid minute to let the fact sink in before his eyes widened and he stood up, startling Hide. “Yes, I love her!”

“Jesus! Then do something more than giving her flowers to get her back! Ambush her, kidnap her, do whatever you gotta do to make her forgive you! Do I have to spoon feed you everything?”

Kaneki placed a hand on his best friend’s shoulder with a smile. “Thank you.”

Hide’s jaw dropped open. It’s been years since he’s even spoken those 2 words.

\--

Listening to Hide’s advice, Kaneki decided to ambush her. He heard from the doctor that Touka will be going for a walk with her family today and waited for her at her village park. He sat on the bench, planning out what he wanted to say while holding a bouquet of roses and quickly stood up when he saw them approaching his way.

Walking towards them, Touka noticed him and frowned. He took it as a good sign that she didn’t ask them to walk the other direction. He stopped in front of the family and while Ayato and Arata stared at him confusion, Touka’s gaze was deadly.

“Touka, can we talk for a bit? Please?” Kaneki pleaded.

She looked to her father who nodded, giving her permission and she went with him to another quieter part of the park. Making sure to stand a certain distance away from him, she glared at him and pointed an accusing index finger at him. “First things first, how dare you assign a doctor to tend to my father even after I’ve refused your money? I made it very clear that I didn’t need your money and pity.”

“I only wanted to help you. If I knew your father was sick, I would have given you more money during the contract.”

“That would mean you’re pitying me. I don’t want or need it, especially from you.”

“Touka, I—” He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away, to his disappointment. He withdrew his hand and looked at her. “I’m sorry for doing that secretly. I only wanted to make it up to you. And I’m so sorry for what I said that night. Although this sounds like an excuse, I was angry at that time at you prying into my matters and I said things that shouldn’t have been said and hurt you. I know you were just trying to help me, and I pushed you away. For that, I’m sorry. I’m willing to do anything you ask of me and tell you everything about my past as long as you would forgive me.”

She could tell from the look in his pleading eyes that he was speaking the truth, but she didn’t want to forgive him yet. It’d be too easy.

“Do you know how hurt I was when you said that to me? Aside from the prostitute thing, what I was really upset about was when you said that the time we spent together meant nothing to you.” She breathed, willing herself not to cry. “Even if it was a short 2 months, it meant something to me because I fell in love with you.”

He closed his eyes painfully. “I know. I’m sorry.”

“What was I to you? A tool? A prostitute? A sex buddy?”

Kaneki grabbed her by the waist and cupped her cheeks. “You are everything to me. My world. My universe. After you left, I regretted so much of what I did and said. Touka, I promise that if you forgive me, I will do everything in my power to make you happy.”

She shook her head. “That’s not enough. I need to hear those 3 words from you.”

He hesitated. The last time he said those words to Kamishiro Rize had caused him a lifetime of misery and resentment towards women.

Touka shoved him away and mumbled. “You’re not worth my time if you can’t even say the words.” She turned her back to him and he panicked. Now or never?

Now! He never ever wants to experience the feeling of despair and misery again. He needs her back.

“I love you!” He shouted. “I love you, Kirishima Touka!”

Tears brimmed in her eyes and she spun around, ran towards him and tackled him with a hug. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for those words!”

He wrapped his arms around her tightly and whispered, “I’m sorry I made you wait so long. Please give me another chance to love you.”

She nodded in tears.

When Kaneki asked for her to move back into the house with him, Touka didn’t want to because she wanted to spend time with her father now that he’s finally better and able to go outside. He wanted to respect her wishes and so, suggested for her to go to his house only twice or thrice a week. Though he wished to see her more often, he had promised to do anything for her after all.

Tonight was the first time in 2 months that she’s visited his house. After enjoying a delicious dinner at the large dining table with one another, they went to a room at the end of the hallway. It’s where they keep their old paintings. Kaneki unlocked the door with a key and held Touka’s hand. “I want to show you something. It’s about why I hate women so much.”

The serious expression on his face told her that this was something he did not share with others often and that it wasn’t a happy story. Before they entered the room, she pulled him down for a kiss and cupped his cheeks. “It’ll be okay.”

He flashed her a weak smile.

The room was barely maintained and extremely dusty, from the amount of coughing and sneezing they did when they entered, and he brought her to the corner of the room where a large painting covered by a piece of white cloth laid against the wall. Grabbing the cloth, he removed it to reveal a family of three, a black-haired male on the left, a black-haired female on the right, and in the middle was a small boy who resembled Kaneki.

“The male is my father, the female is my mother, and the child is me.”

\--

“Mama! Read me a storybook!” Young Kaneki exclaimed, showing her a book.

His kind-hearted mother patted the boy on his head with a smile. “Sure, darling.”

She used to be nice and kind towards him. When he reached the age of 8 years, his mother started distancing herself from him and sometimes would look at him with disgust evident on her face, mumbling how he grew to look a lot of like his father. At 8 years old, he didn’t understand why his mother said those words and days after he asked his father why, he heard them arguing.

Fearing loud noises and shouting as a child, he hid in his room and covered his ears. Even so, he could hear the words they yelled at one another.

“What do you mean you married me for my money?!” His father shouted.

“I mean what I said. You were rich and stupid enough to fall for my seduction! I only wanted your money!”

His father seemed to pause in his words before his voice went soft. “Are you saying that our feelings were never once mutual? That I was the only one who loved you?”

“That’s right.”

From then on, Ken never saw his parents together. Eventually, they divorced, with his mother taking some of their money and abandoned Ken and Katsuo* by moving out of the house. He watched his father go from the energetic man he was, to a depressed man who barely even looked like he was living anymore. He then fell ill and passed away when Ken was only 12.

*Katsuo is Ken’s father’s name in this story.

At his father’s funeral and mourning period, his mother never once came to visit. His grief turned into hatred towards his mother. While he blamed her for everything, he also hated himself for being the one who started it by telling his father what his mother said.

\--

“That isn’t all. While I was recovering from the pain, I became a young man aged 20 and fell in love with the wrong woman. Her name was Kamishiro Rize and I made the same mistake as my father. Soon after we got married, she told me lies about how her parents were sick and cried in front of me, begging me for money. Once I gave her the money, she disappeared the next day and I never saw her again. I swore off women after that.” He squeezed her hand.

“Oh, Kaneki.” She cupped his cheeks and gazed into his sorrowful eyes. “I promise I won’t do that to you. I won’t abandon you nor will I cheat you for your money.”

Kaneki placed his hand over hers. “I know, I trust you, Touka. But I’m afraid of the same thing happening again. I don’t want to ever experience that pain again.”

The female kissed him, and he pulled her close by the waist, hands shaking. “I belong to you, and you belong to me. I will never leave you for as long as I live, till death we do part.” She whispered.

“You did leave me 2 months ago though.”

“Seriously? That was your fault!” She chided, pinching his cheek.

He grinned and leaned his forehead against hers.

That night, they made love as if this was the first time they were doing this, and Kaneki took his time to carve his feelings for her in every kiss and caress. It was soon over, and they lay sated in each other’s arms.

Staring at the male who panted to regain his lost breath, Touka decided that it was the right time to tell him. “I’m pregnant.”

He froze then turned to her. “How long?”

“2 months.”

“...why didn’t you tell me before we went to bed?!” He quickly got up and touched her belly. “Did I hurt you? Is our child okay?”

Touka giggled, running her hand through his black hair. “Both the child and I are fine.”

Eyes crinkling from his grin, he moved up to kiss her and push the stray strands of her hair to the back. “I’m going to be a father. Thank you.”

“You won’t..take the child and throw me away right? That was our deal from the start.” She asked, some part of her still afraid of him forcefully separating her from the child.

“What? No, of course not! We’ll raise him or her together.”

He took the box off the bedside table and opened it. He hoped that his endless practices of proposing would be able to get a 'Yes' from her. “Touka, will you marry me and make me the happiest man in the world?”

The female sat up, clutching the blankets close to her chest. “You won’t be asking me to do that if you see my face scar.”

“It wouldn’t change my feelings for you.” He reached for her bangs to push them away, but she stopped him from doing so. He sighed. “If it makes you feel better, I’ll just tell you that I’ve already seen it.”

Her eyes widened and almost popped out of its sockets. “When?!”

“Once I saw it when you were asleep. Your bangs didn’t cover your scar. Though it surprised me at first, I didn’t find it disgusting or revolting. You still looked the same to me and I still love you.” Kaneki cupped her cheeks and tears filled her eyes.

“Y-You really mean that? Damn it, I’ve been crying too much recently, damn pregnancy hormones!” She sobbed, wiping her tears away as they fell continuously.

“I do,” he replied, thumbs wiping the tears away while laughing. “Will you marry me now?”

"Yes!"

Mom, you were right. I found someone who loves me for who I am.

The couple got married with Arata’s blessing and Touka moved into Kaneki’s house soon after. Despite the next 10 months being extremely hectic, with Touka’s frequent morning sicknesses, back pain, and swollen feet, Kaneki still thought of her as beautiful because throughout the pregnancy, she glowed and was very happy.

Their child then came into the world after a long 8 hours labor, and it was a girl. Kaneki kissed his wife’s sweaty forehead to thank her for a job well done and the two watched their baby daughter fuss in her mother’s arms.

“A girl… Her name will be Ichika.” The exhausted mother breathed.

“Yeah. She looks like you.” The new father smiled.

“Are you disappointed that it wasn’t a boy?” She asked and he shook his head.

“I will be happy with whatever child you give me, my Duchess.” He grinned.

Another 2 years later, Touka gave birth to a son and his name is Kou. The family of 4, together with Ayato and Arata, lived happily ever after.

**Author's Note:**

> Do leave a kudos/comments if you liked it!


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